im not a fan of horse racing in any case - too many unwanted and failed horses looking for homes or going to slaughter. really pisses me off. hugely.but this race is the pits. i hate it. i refuse to watch it - every year horses die trying to complete it. its a shite course. i hate the way everyone treats it as a bit of fun doing bloody betting syndicates etc.horses die in this race, its a given. every bloody year. all i want is my own horse and in the racing industry they are just throw away appendages. used and got rid of.

Anyone can hold whatever opinion they like about the GN but please, get your facts right or you just make yourself appear ignorant and weaken your argument.

The Grand National has been running since 1839. That's 175 years. In that time, 79 horses have died in the race. Every one of those deaths is regrettable but that is not, by any stretch, "a given, every bloody year". It's not even one horse every other year. Every horse came back safe and sound as recently as last year, for example.

You might want to read the other thread which is already running on the subject to learn about some of the modifications that have been made to the course and the race to minimise the risks.

OurMiracle that happens in every single sphere of equestrianism, professional and amateur. I have plenty of friends whose horses have had to be retired or PTS because they have damaged tendons or suffered other injuries while being ridden at slow paces, while doing their own thing in the field, while jumping a low fence at a controlled canter. You can't single racing out on that score - the only way to avoid it would be to ban horses, full stop.